Green Cars Race for Funding

Electronics maker to do more than just provide batteries

(NEWSER) - Hot on the heels of news of the Ford-Toyota deal , we’ve got word of a far stranger electric car pact: General Motors has agreed to a deal to co-develop cars with LG Group, the Wall Street Journal reports. The consumer electronics company already makes the battery for the Chevy Volt, but now it’ll apparently be expanding its role beyond that. The companies didn’t elaborate on any specific plans, or indicate when their first jointly produced cars might hit showrooms. More»

Braking issues force recall of nearly 500K hybrids

(NEWSER) - Toyota president Akio Toyoda apologized to customers as he confirmed the widely expected worldwide recall of 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles today. "We sincerely acknowledge safety concerns from our customers," he said at a press conference in Tokyo. "We have decided to recall as we regard safety for our customers as our foremost priority." More»

Not dirty, sexy, or violent, brand is 'a minor miracle'

(NEWSER) - Nissan already had its work cut out in designing a hybrid—whatever it made had to measure up to Toyota’s hugely successful Prius. Then it needed a name, which came at the end of a process blending business, culture, and the law. Possibilities must be cleared in hundreds of countries, not only for copyright restrictions but for potential unintended hilarity: see Mazda’s “Bongo Friendee” van and Daihatsu’s “Naked” minicar. The result is the green-sounding Leaf. More»

You'll drive less frequently but enjoy it more

(NEWSER) - So, conventional wisdom tells us, if you want to help the environment, ditch those dreams of a hot-rod, get a hybrid, and commute knowing you’ve done your part to save the environment. Nonsense, writes Joe Eaton , who did precisely the opposite. “Giving up your Prius and putting a hot rod in the garage may be the best thing you can do for the planet,” he writes at Slate. More»

(NEWSER) - Toyota plans to keep its lead in the environmentally friendly vehicle market with a new car to be released in 2011, Bloomberg reports. The vehicle, to be based on the company's Vitz compact, will be around 5% more fuel-efficient than its Prius and will sell for around $15,600, according to reports in Japanese media. The company plans to market the car in Japan, the US, and Europe. More»